MFL MarMac volleyball season underway
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
The MFL MarMac volleyball team went 1-4 at the Edgewood-Colesburg Invitational on Aug. 30—the first competition of the season.
Wapsie Valley got the best of the Bulldogs in the first game of the tournament, winning 21-6 and 21-12. Both teams took 38 kill attempts in the match, but the Warriors converted on 15 compared to MFL MarMac’s six. Wapsie was equally lethal on the blocking side of the net, recording eight total, and hit over 95 percent of their serves, including 11 aces.
Payton McElwaine and Lily Johnson led the Bulldogs with two kills apiece, and Maddie Keehner and Blair Winter each earned one. Addison Corlett tallied three assists.
McElwaine was also a defensive leader for MFL MarMac, with a team-high nine digs, followed by Lauryn Johnson with five and Corlett three.
The Bulldogs were a collective 84.2 percent from the service line. Lily Johnson completed all six of her attempts—half of which were aces—while Corlett was a perfect 3-3 with one ace.
MFL MarMac evened its record in the second match of the day, sweeping Marquette Catholic 21-9 and 21-10. The team racked up 12 kills, led by Lily Johnson’s four and three from McElwaine. Winter and Macy McGeough both netted two.
Corlett was responsible for seven of the Bulldogs’ nine assists, and Lauryn Johnson and Kensey Ball each picked up one.
Defensively, Keehner and Corlett secured the first blocks of the season. Corlett also earned a team-high six digs, followed by McGeough and Lily Johnson with three each.
The team’s serve percentage improved to 87.8, bolstered by a 10-11 clip from Lily Johnson. The junior added three more aces to her season total. Ball connected on all eight of her attempts, half of which were aces, and Lauryn Johnson completed six of eight serves with a pair of aces.
The Bulldogs lost a tough battle to Central in game three. After edging the Warriors 21-19 in the opening set, the Warriors returned the favor 21-19 in set two and took the third 15-6.
Keehner and Lily Johnson totaled five kills each, and McElwaine and McGeough both netted three. Corlett picked up 14 assists.
Lily Johnson was the digs leader, with 10, and McElwaine and Corlett both recorded five. The team had no blocks.
Despite collecting 10 aces, MFL MarMac’s serving dropped to 76.6 percent. Ball made all eight of her serves, including a pair of aces, while Maddie Keehner was 7-7 with one ace.
The fourth match against host Ed-Co was another tight battle. The Vikings opened with a 21-17 win, before the Bulldogs rebounded 21-17 in the second. A 15-9 win in the final frame gave Ed-Co the game.
The Vikings racked up just two more kills than MFL MarMac, 25 versus 23, but landed nine blocks compared to the Bulldogs’ two. They also proved a bit better from the service line, hitting 90.6 percent of attempts compared to MFL MarMac’s 83 percent.
Offensively, Lily Johnson and Winter smashed five kills each, then Keehner and McElwaine earned four apiece. Corlett continued to lead the team in assists, with 18.
Keehner picked up both Bulldog blocks. Corlett and McElwaine snagged a team-high eight digs. Ball and Lily Johnson both tallied five.
Corlett was a nearly perfect 10 of 11 serving, including an ace. Ball made nine of 10 and also added an ace.
MFL MarMac wrapped up the tournament with a 2-0 loss to North Cedar. The Knights won the first set 25-17 and the second 25-19. Lily Johnson was responsible for five of the team’s 15 kills and Winter had four. Keehner, McElwaine and McGeough all dropped two kills. Corlett finished with 11 assists.
Lily Johnson had another strong defensive performance, bringing in 10 digs. Corlett compiled six and Lauryn Johnson five.
From the service line, Corlett was a remarkable 13-13, accounting for all three Bulldog aces. Ball also had another good game, completing five of six serves.
MFL MarMac won’t be back in action until Saturday, Sept. 6, at another tournament—this time at Starmont.
